This article was originally published on WHerMoments
Terrence Brian tends to keep a low profile. Well into his 80s, the Oldham-based Englishman has been retired for some time now. He's filled his free time with a few volunteer groups, but he's really toned down his public activities in recent years. All in all, Terrence lives a quiet life, and not even the usual hustle-and-bustle of the holiday season seems to rile him up — at least, not on the outside. But after other Oldham residents got word of Terrence's eye-opening way of spending his holidays, a sudden international spotlight shone down on his life — and made an impact on it forever.
A group for LGBTQ+ citizens
Terrence was volunteering with the UK charity, Age UK, when his quiet life was turned upside down. He'd been involved with the charity for about five years before things went south.
He was most passionate about one of their social engagement groups for older LGBTQ+ citizens, called Out and About. Out and About's cause hit very close to home for Terrence.
A personal low point
It was Terrence's proactive volunteer work that first began to draw people's attention — after all, how often do you see someone in his 80s dedicate all of his time and energy to charity? — but that wasn't the reason he first connected with Age UK.
He'd come to the charity in a time of need. At a personal low point, he'd been feeling lonelier than ever before.
His life-changing realization
Up until then, Terrence's life had been peppered with events that forced him to face loneliness from time to time. From the age of 20, when he first realized he was gay, he'd felt like an outsider.
And it was back, in the midst of feeling outcast and alone, that he discovered volunteer work was something he could harness as a coping mechanism.
"I must be a freak"
“When I was 20," Terrence said, "I couldn’t understand why I was attracted to my own sex. The first thing I thought was that I must be a freak.” It was the sixties, and identifying as LGBTQ+ wasn't just frowned upon — it was illegal.
You could even get arrested for it, which must have terrified Terrence and other young and vulnerable people in the burgeoning LGBTQ+ community of the 1960s.
A ray of hope
So it's no surprise that Terrence struggled to come to terms with his sexuality as he grew up. But in his moment of struggle, he heard of a charity — Campaign for Homosexual Equality, or CHE — that provided solace.
He joined up with CHE and began campaigning for his rights, and the rights of others like him. He even found a way to help people and pay his bills at the same time.
He had a passion for nursing
Terrence realized he had a passion for caring about others, and he was determined to put his passion to good use. And that year, he decided to go into nursing.
It was this move which would allow him to show kindness and bring smiles to people in need, even if the world wasn't so kind to the gay community. It was the beginning of a great career.
The power of a smile
For the next ten years, he helped patients of all kinds recover from a variety of ailments. When he was thirty, he made a job switch to another form of nursing: he became a caretaker for people with mental and physical disabilities.
He knew firsthand that even something as seemingly simple as a smile could turn someone's day around, and perhaps even influence their overall mood.
A scary diagnosis
As much as Terrence loved nursing, however, it was a demanding job, both on the body and the mind. So when Terrence reached retirement age, he stepped away from nursing in order to focus on his own health. Done with nursing and with plenty of free time, he began looking for other things to do.
However, it wasn't long before his skills were needed again. His mother, who was also his closest friend and ally, was diagnosed with cancer.
Their new Christmas tradition
Terrence knew his mother needed all the help she could get, so he put his caretaking instincts to good use. He looked after her as best he could, helping comfort her during the illness and minding household tasks for her.
He made his mom afternoon tea, and each year he looked forward to their new Christmas tradition.
His mother's confession
The tradition was simple, but sweet, and very meaningful to Terrence and his mother: Terrence would pick up several small things he knew his mother liked and wrap them up in Christmas paper.
Then he'd stuff them in a pillowcase, like Santa's sack of gifts, and bring them to her place. His mother loved the tradition, but one year, she told Terrence something he'd never forget.
A sobering statement
"Without you bringing me my presents at Christmas," she told her son, "I wouldn't have any presents, would I?" It was a simple expression of gratitude, but her appreciation touched Terrence's heart.
It also shed light on a very real issue that many people try not to think about: just how many elderly neighbors spend the holidays on their own, too frail or too far away to spend Christmas with their families. He couldn't imagine celebrating Christmas alone.
His sudden loss
The years came and went, but 2000 was a particularly dark one for Terrence. His mother was taken by cancer. "Nobody ever explains how hard grief hits you, until it happens to you," he said. "Even after she'd gone...I had to remind myself she wasn't here anymore."
He was the last surviving member of his immediate family. All too quickly, Terrence learned how easy it was to end up alone.
It all came to a head
To make matters worse, during all those years Terrence had spent caring for other people, he'd put them first and his own health second. That same year, he suffered a heart attack and wound up in the hospital, where another troubling diagnosis was waiting for the unfortunate elder.
It was at that point he was diagnosed with diabetes. And in those dark days, things got even worse. His partner of four years broke up with him.
Keeping a stiff upper lip
Dealing with poor health and grief all alone can be scary, and it wasn't long before Terrence fell into a depression. Still, he kept soldiering on, but it was hard for him to keep a stiff upper lip whenever December came around.
For nearly two decades, he spent Christmas alone, watching TV shows and eating his annual Christmas sandwich. He never complained about it, but one day, a friend noticed he wasn't himself.
Opening new doors
The friend connected him with the Age UK charity and its Out and About group. Uplifted by the newfound social engagement, Terrence took a nine-week computer course with the group and made several new friends.
He even began volunteering to spend time with other elderly folks, particularly a lady named Nancy, a 90-year-old with dementia. Getting back into volunteering raised Terrence's spirits and reminded him of how much good he could do!
Terrence was refreshingly honest
With that, Terrence started to feel like his old self again. His rapid turnaround caught Age UK manager Maggie Hurley's eye, so she invited him to be part of Age UK's Christmas fundraising campaign. Doing so meant he'd have to tell his story on camera, but Terrence wasn't deterred.
Instead, he was honest, telling the public all about his lonely Christmases and how the charity helped him feel less alone. The ad was so successful, it got the BBC's attention.
A surprise visit
The folks at the BBC knew the public would fall in love with Terrence and his strength the way they did, so they invited him onto the BBC Breakfast show. Presenter Dan Walker was visibly stunned when he learned that Terrence had been alone for nearly twenty Christmases.
So, with the Christmas season in full swing, Dan decided to pay Terrence a surprise visit... with a film crew in tow.
A house full of friends
He'd brought along students from nearby Oldham College, who brought Terrence a Christmas tree and decorated it for him. It had been over two decades since Terrence had celebrated Christmas with a house full of friends!
Terrence was openly moved, weeping with gratitude at the simple gesture of kindness — but that wasn't all.
Beautiful Christmas serenade
The entire Oldham College Choir was waiting out on Terrence's doorstep, and when Dan led him to the door, they began to sing Terrence's favorite Christmas carol, "Silent Night." He stood, dabbing his eyes, and listened to the music.
"Thank you so much," he told them. For the first time in years, Terrence wasn't the giver, but the receiver of a good deed.
A Christmas to remember
His new friends had to go home eventually, and a new question loomed: would Terrence spend another Christmas alone? Thankfully, Terrence was determined to put his two decades of lonely Christmases behind him. That Christmas, he spent the evening having a festive dinner with Nancy, the woman he volunteered with.
The joy he felt the day he was surprised by so many new friends never left him. "What had I done to deserve all this?” he marveled. The answer?
Rough times ahead
Half a century of selfless service to others, of course! And Terrence wasn't the only person whose kindness was rewarded at Christmas. A woman named Ms. Ella always kept her faith, even during her life's toughest moments.
She raised her surrogate children to keep the faith as well, but that belief system was undoubtedly tested when the great-grandma encountered a run of bad luck at the worst possible time. And in winter, things came to a head for her extended family — with devastating results.
Mounting bills
To be more specific, their bills were mounting up, which meant that Ms. Ella struggled was struggling to make ends meet. Indeed, things were so tough that she didn’t know whether the family would even manage to celebrate Christmas at all.
But the kindhearted senior’s wishes were about to become true, thanks in part to a friend from another state.
Needing help
It's worth noting that Ms. Ella, who is a military widow, has dedicated her whole life to her nearest and dearest. But even do-gooders can't go it alone — everyone needs a helping hand occasionally.
And this benevolent great-grandmother was long since overdue some support after all the good she’s done for her family through the years.
Crumbling house
Ms. Ella has no local friends to rely on and does almost everything for herself. All of her income goes on feeding and clothing her great-grandchildren, as well as other essentials like paying the bills.
But when her house fell into disrepair, it left Ms. Ella with even more problems. Fortunately, there were people looking out for her from afar.
A best friend
You see, Ms. Ella has the emotional support of her Californian best friend, Alicestine “Ms. Alice” Miller. Unfortunately, the geographical distance between them limits how much contact they can realistically have. As such, it's rare that they are able to meet up often.
Nevertheless, the pair have remained firm friends. In fact, it was Miller that helped arrange her bestie’s incredible surprise.
Reaching out
Unable to do much to physically help Ms. Ella, Miller contacted someone who she was hoping could: the Fox5 Surprise Squad. For its part, the network’s viewership can nominate people who they think deserve a special act of kindness in return for all their good work.
Fox5 then goes on to send a surprise team to the chosen nominee and offers them a helping hand when they need it most.
Enhancing happiness
Meanwhile, the Fox5 Surprise Squad works with a number of different organizations to conduct its impressive work. United Nissan in Las Vegas, American Credit Union and Albertsons Vons all work together as a team with a common goal.
According to the network, they want to “enhance luck and happiness” for the nominee who has given so much for others.
A letter to Fox5
And so Miller sent the Fox5 Surprise Squad a letter all about Ms. Ella’s selfless struggling friend. And in the subsequent video clip uploaded onto the channel’s official YouTube page in December 2018, it revealed what the correspondence said.
Reporter Cassandra Jones reads out, “Dear Fox5 Surprise Squad. I need your help with helping a deserving friend of mine in dire need.”
So much with so little
“My friend Ms. Ella is a… great-grandmother raising six great-grandchildren by herself. They’re her life,” the letter continues. Ms. Alice can also be heard on the video saying, “She cooks, she cleans for the children, she’s truly just a good person.”
However, she reveals Ms. Ella’s financial support is limited and inadequate for her to live comfortably.
Not enough
“The help she receives each month is just not enough to get by,” Jones quotes. Miller explains to Fox5 via telephone that she’s tried her best to help her friend whenever possible. For example, one problematic issue for Ms. Ella was her house’s leaking water system.
In the video, Miller explains, “[Ms. Ella] needs someone to help her with the water at the house. That bill is $900 and she pays $200 a month on it – and it’s not going down. Sometimes, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, you know?”
Visiting Ms. Ella
Indeed, Ms. Alice hoped the Fox5 Surprise Squad would be that light. Without intervention, Ms. Ella and her great-grandchildren wouldn’t be able to celebrate Christmas. But the great-grandmother’s plight and her close friendship with Ms. Alice touched the Fox5 team.
As a result, they decided to visit Ms. Ella. Her friend only hoped she could witness the moment the surprise team arrived.
Seeing her reaction
“I just wish I could see her if you guys knocked on her door, oh my God,” Ms. Alice chuckles in the video. She continues, “I want her to know that someone cares.”
And soon Ms. Ella discovers that someone is indeed looking out for her when Fox5 arrives at the house and Jones goes right ahead and introduces herself.
"We’re like sisters"
The minute Ms. Ella sees who is standing on her doorstep, she becomes incredibly emotional and breaks down in tears. And when Jones tells the great-grandma that they got a letter from someone, she instantly knows who.
Ms. Ella can be seen mouthing the name “Alice” through her tears, continuing, “We’re like sisters, she checks on me all the time.”
A surprise guest
As Jones holds the crying Ms. Ella, she announces the Fox5 Surprise Squad’s first gift. Reporter Jones continues, “Guess what? [Miller] is here today.”
At first, the sobbing senior doesn’t seem to believe her ears, but she can't deny it when her friend appears from around the corner. She embraces both Jones and Ms. Ella before heading inside to talk.
Rescuing her great-grandkids
After settling down, Jones asks Ms. Ella about her great-grandchildren and how she feels about them. She replies, “Oh Lord, they mean so much to me. They’re my heart, I had to rescue them.”
However, through her tears, Ms. Ella admits that she doesn't have it in her to face a heartbreaking conversation about what they went through in their past.
Hurting together
“I don’t want to go all into it,” the emotional great-grandmother can be heard saying through her tears. Meanwhile, Miller explains how she felt helpless too, unable to do anything but watch Ms. Ella struggle and suffer.
The former exclaims, “And God knows what she’s going through, because she’s hurting and I’m hurting because I can’t help her.”
Everything's gone
Miller then goes on to reveal just how desperate the situation was for Ms. Ella and how things were hanging on a knife edge. She says, “By the time she’s paid for the house, the car, insurance and fed six kids, everything is gone.”
Furthermore, denying her great-grandchildren Christmas was a step too far for the hurting Ms. Ella.
Bringing in help
In the video, Ms. Ella elaborates, “I hate to say [we aren’t celebrating Christmas this year]. I say, ‘grandma will see about it.’ I’ve got to pay the bills, you know, first.” But her friend Miller’s letter got through to the people who could help.
The Fox5 Surprise Squad then bring some kindly folk with them who are instrumental in turning Ms. Ella’s situation around.
Renovation team
To be specific, Jones introduces Ms. Ella to representatives of two different companies. Bob Cleveland is from the charity Rebuilding Together, which works to renovate and repair buildings in the community.
Between 1988 and 2018, the organization’s renovated over 210,000 structures and has over four million volunteers assisting it. In addition, Beckie White of Aqua Plumbing accompanies the Surprise Squad.
Plumbing problems gone
And together, they promise Ms. Ella they will help get her home into shape in their own special ways. For Cleveland’s part, his work will focus on repairing the damage to the great-grandma’s property.
And he describes what he would do on the video. “We’re going to take care of all the water issues in the yard,” Cleveland tells Ms. Ella.
Overcome with joy
He continues, “We’re going to fix the leak in the yard [and] we’re going to replace the toilets.” Then White adds, “We’re going to pay the balance of the water bill for you, so you don’t have to worry about it anymore.”
Ms. Ella can’t believe what she’s hearing and her mouth drops open in surprise.
Surprise spa day
Then she bursts into tears of joy as she shares hugs with both [Miller] and White. And touchingly, Ms. Ella’s face lights up with a smile of genuine happiness. “I feel good,” Ms. Ella says, laughing heartily.
But that’s just the beginning of the Surprise Squad’s gifts, as Jones subsequently reveals. In fact, they’ve also arranged a treat for both her and Ms. Alice.
Riding in style
Indeed, Fox5 have arranged a spa day for both women while the team fixes up the senior’s house. “We want you guys to be able to enjoy each other, reconnect, catch up, spend some time together,” Jones says.
And when the reporter leads Ms. Alice and Ms. Ella outside, they discover they’ll be travelling in style. Indeed, a limousine is waiting for the women, driven by a chauffeur holding a beautiful bunch of flowers.
Getting to work
As the limousine takes the ladies away, work begins on Ms. Ella’s property in earnest. Jones says, “Our whole squad is here, even station management.
Everybody’s getting their hands dirty, pitching in to give those kids the best Christmas possible.” Furthermore, Artie White of Aqua Plumbing says Ms. Ella’s future water bills should be much lower.
All new furnishings
He adds, “She doesn’t need to be spending all her money on her water bill [and it] should go down somewhere between $35 and $40.” Additionally, the Surprise Squad have even replaced Ms. Ella’s weathered furniture.
Meanwhile, RC Willey Home Furnishings swings by to supply Ms. Ella with some lovely new home décor. And by the time they’re finished, the great-grandmother’s house looks like an entirely new property.
Feeling refreshed
Then the only thing left is to wait for the lady of the hour to come home and witness the Surprise Squad’s incredible work. After a day in the spa, a refreshed Ms. Ella arrives back to a fanfare of applause from the crowd assembled in her front yard.
Fox5 Surprise Squad newcomer Faven Kay meets the great-grandmother, who states she enjoyed her spa day and even got her hair dyed.
Completely overwhelmed
Kay then informs Ms. Ella, “We fixed the water leak concerns for you, so you don’t have to worry about that.” “And we really wanted to spread a little extra Christmas cheer, because you so deserve it,” Kay continues. And with that, the team leads Ms. Ella inside to see what changes they’ve made.
But when she walks through the door, the great-grandma is so overcome with emotion she has to sit down and falls into the nearest chair.
Total overhaul
“It’s so beautiful,” an emotional Ms. Ella says through her tears of joy. However, the changes go far beyond the living room, as Kay explains to the stunned great-grandmother.
And as Ms. Ella catches her breath, Kay tells her, “As you can see, you have some new furniture and a new TV.” “Ms. Ella, as you can see, there are also some Christmas presents for all your great-grandkids,” Kay continues.
Christmas for everyone
“Along with $500 gift cards for each and every one of them, so you can take them Christmas shopping.” And the reporter highlights a gift on the tree for Ms. Ella herself, too.
Kay adds, “And we know you like to cook, right? There’s a $500 Albertson's gift card there for you to make that happen for them.”
So different and so happy
Yet even being showered with all these gifts, Ms. Ella’s mind is still on her great-grandchildren. She marvels, “Oh, they are going to have a fit.” Fox5’s Kay has one question for Ms. Ella: how will this Christmas be different from the previous one?
And the latter had a touching response that must have made all that hard work feel even more worth it.
A final gift
“The [children] can get what they want and then we’ve got pretty furniture. It was a lot. It will be so different and so happy.” And then comes the Surprise Squad’s final treat. Kay introduces a friend of the network who’s very keen to meet Ms. Ella: Don Forman, co-owner of United Nissan.
He asks for a hug from the big-hearted great-grandmother as soon as he sees her and then explains his presence.
Inside the box
He’s there to present her with something concealed in the red gift box he carries. “So, from our family at United Nissan, we’ve got a little gift for you,” Forman says. “We thought this would be fantastic for the holidays.”
He subsequently draws Ms. Ella’s attention to the package he placed on the table. He then gestures her to open it and explains its contents as she does.
Mortgage-free year
“So, we’re going to pay for your house for the next year,” Forman then announces. And Miller looks just as surprised as Ms. Ella, who can’t believe what’s happening.
She hides her face in her hands before reaching out to the man for another hug. Ms. Ella then adds, “Thank you,” followed by Miller, who says, “That is so wonderful!”
It's about the love
Then when Ms. Ella’s great-grandchildren return home, they can’t believe what has happened. They make their way around the house, taking in all that's changed. They can be seen staring, open-mouthed at all the new furniture, then head straight to their great-grandma for a hug.
Then, one of the children says of Christmas, “It’s not about the presents, it’s about the love in your family.”
So deserved
And as for the Surprise Squad, they just feel blessed to have been able to help out Ms. Ella when she was in need. Forman adds, “She has love pouring out of her, she lights you up inside.
And every word she was saying, I was tearing up because she’s just real, she’s loving and she’s fantastic.”